The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music


Midnight on the Stormy Deep [core]

'Twas midnight on the stormy deep
My solitary watch I keep
And think of her I left behind
And ask if she'd be true and kind

I never shall forget the day
When I was forced to go away
In silence there my head she'd rest
And press me to her loving breast

Oh, Willie don't go back to sea
There's other girls as good as me
But none can love you true as I
Pray don't go where the bullets fly

The deep, deep sea may us divide
And I may be some other's bride
But still my thoughts will sometimes stray
To thee when thou art far away

I never have proved false to thee
The heart I gave was true as thine
But you have proved untrue to me
I can no longer call thee mine

Then fare thee well, I'd rather make
My home upon some icy lake
Where the southern sun refuse to shine
Than to trust a love so false as thine

Available in these books:

Get Started Plus:
Core Songs Edition
100 songs and our acclaimed play-by-ear learning method.
Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Both books feature large-print lyrics (20-point type) and include chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

...and on these CDs:

Five CDs, 100 songs. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
Listen to sample tracks.

The MP3 collection has all 100 songs on one CD for a discount. See details.


A song from the Mountain Music for Everyone Song Collection from the ToneWay Project. Our website has lyrics to nearly 400 traditional songs common in bluegrass and old-time circles. Most songs also include a free MP3 recording that you can listen to. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and resources for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com